Chef Kunio Tokuoka has cooked at Kitcho in Kyoto since the age of 15, eventually rising to the position of head chef. Over the years, he’s perfected the art of umami – the hard-to-define “fifth taste” – in his contemporized kaiseki menus, and on July 29th at the James Beard House, he’ll be preparing a special dinner, “Umami – A Modern Japanese Degustation.” The multicourse feast will feature hors d’oeuvres like kombu broth–simmered onions on sliced beef with pickled plum and mains like lobster and sea urchin with Tosa vinegar gelée and steamed vegetables (7 PM; $500 per person, $450 for members; 212-627-2308).